Retention: 5 Questions You Should Ask Every Agent (Especially Now)

by | Aug 1, 2024

Some years back, the Gallup Organization developed a set of 12 questions to assess the professional health of an employee.

In my opinion, five of these questions relate specifically to real estate managers who have a desire to retain their most productive agents.

1. Do you have the materials, equipment, and support to do your work right?

2. In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing good work?

3. Does your supervisor or someone at work seem to care about you as a person?

4. Is there someone at work who encourages your development?

5. At work, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?

If an agent enthusiastically answers Yes! to these questions and can cite examples, your chances of retaining them is much higher.

Anything less than an enthusiastic Yes! is a red flag.

These questions can also give you some insight into what other offices/organizations are vulnerable from a recruiting perspective.

First, do the hard work of being a great manager for the benefit of your existing agents.

Then, keep your ear to the ground to learn which of your competitors is struggling the most on this front.

The best hires are those agents who are getting a manager upgrade when they come to work for you.

P.S. Are the NAR settlement changes making you a little nervous about retention?  You’re not alone. Change and disruptions are often the catalyst for defections, and it’s why our coaches are helping leaders develop and execute effective retention strategies.  Reach out if you’d like to learn more.

 

The Simple Psychology of Real Estate Recruiting [2nd Edition]

Unlock the secrets of effective real estate recruiting. Revised to include actionable frameworks for sharper execution and to help you turn psychological theory into a repeatable recruiting system.

The Attrition Variables

The Attrition Variables

While these attrition constants still have the greatest influence, there are some emerging attrition variables worth noting. People also tend to leave companies when: They feel like they’re not doing as well as others in their peer group outside the company. They feel like they’re not as far along as they should be at a certain point in life.

The Attrition Constants

The Attrition Constants

If you’re not focusing most of your retention effort on these issues, you’ll miss the mark. If you’re not focusing most of your recruiting effort on exploiting these weaknesses among your competitors, you’re missing the best opportunities.

The Persistence Mindset

The Persistence Mindset

A leader equipped with this mindset can have a profound effect on the life and career of each individual they engage. It works because an agent is getting a real-time glimpse of what it would be like to work on your team. But it only becomes believable when it is persistently applied over time.